Yeah, that's exactly my point. It is not about teaching the child the name for each part -- it is about them knowing that it is not a cookie or a cupcake or whatnot, it is about them knowing that that part is personal, it has a name, and most importantly, they shouldn't feel ashamed to talk about it.

Yeah, that's exactly my point. It is not about teaching the child the name for each part -- it is about them knowing that it is not a cookie or a cupcake or whatnot, it is about them knowing that that part is personal, it has a name, and most importantly, they shouldn't feel ashamed to talk about it.

One of the things that DH and I taught our girls when they were younger was as soon as someone tells you "you can't tell anyone" you need to tell mom about it. (they of course know that this doens't mean christmas or birthday gifts) and I have ended up on the wrong side of to much information, but I have also found out things that most kids wouldn't tell there parents that an adult needed to know.

Thought you may injoy the humor in this.Two of my daughters and I were talking and the 14 year old called me DUDE (which I hate) and I told her you can't call me dude as I am not a boy. My 10 year old piped up and said "but mom you DO have a penis right now" (I am 37 weeks pregnant with there brother), Um no I don't have a penis, and she said well the baby has a penis and he is attached to you so YES mom you have a penis....Anyway I thought it was funny, thought my DH was gonna have a stroke though...

One of the things that DH and I taught our girls when they were younger was as soon as someone tells you "you can't tell anyone" you need to tell mom about it. (they of course know that this doens't mean christmas or birthday gifts) and I have ended up on the wrong side of to much information, but I have also found out things that most kids wouldn't tell there parents that an adult needed to know.

Thought you may injoy the humor in this.Two of my daughters and I were talking and the 14 year old called me DUDE (which I hate) and I told her you can't call me dude as I am not a boy. My 10 year old piped up and said "but mom you DO have a penis right now" (I am 37 weeks pregnant with there brother), Um no I don't have a penis, and she said well the baby has a penis and he is attached to you so YES mom you have a penis....Anyway I thought it was funny, thought my DH was gonna have a stroke though...

I read in a magazine at the OBs office years ago that children using the correct terminology for their body parts makes them seem older and less innocent thereby making them less attractive targets for sexual predators. I have to say, it makes sense to me.

I read in a magazine at the OBs office years ago that children using the correct terminology for their body parts makes them seem older and less innocent thereby making them less attractive targets for sexual predators. I have to say, it makes sense to me.

Anyhow, I naturally have a lot of opinions on this thread due to my profession.

~ My daughter calls it her private parts and was taught that they are *her* private parts. Once she was running around without clothes and the dog licked her vulva area. She yelled, "No those are my private parts!" then promptly came and told me what the dog did to her. I was so proud. : ) I am and will continue to teach her the proper names for all of the male and female organs.

~ I think the bigger picture when it comes to proper names of body parts in relation to children being less at risk for sexual abuse is when a child knows the proper name, it most likely means that the parent feels comfortable talking to the child about sexual issues, making the child more comfortable to disclose to the parent if they were being touched innapropriately (thus making a predator more likely to back off). When I think of parents calling their or their children's body parts some foofie name (i.e. hoo ha, little miss, etc.) it makes me think that they are just uncomfortable talking about sex, body parts, etc, and that is what puts a child at risk.

~ Uh, yeah there is no question it is harder to prosecute if a child uses foofie names instead of proper names. There is a huge difference between "he grabbed my penis" than "he grabbed my twinkie." And for the parent who says they can simply point out the difference to a court, that can be seen as coaching your child to say what you want them to say.

~ I don't get I guess what is so darn embarrassing about your child talking about his/her private parts or bodily functions in public. It is just part of being a parent and dealing with this kind of situation, and anyone with half a brain that witnesses it happening would think the same. I put it in the same category as your child throwing a tantrum in public. They aren't the finest point of parenting, but it is part of the territory.

~ For those who say that they will wait until their child is "old enough" to tell them about their private parts, umm as soon as a kid is able to talk you should start teaching him/her techniques to keep him/herself safe. Kids who aren't "old enough" get sexually abused all the time, sadly. It is never too early to teach a child safety skills.

How the heck did I miss this thread???

Anyhow, I naturally have a lot of opinions on this thread due to my profession.

~ My daughter calls it her private parts and was taught that they are *her* private parts. Once she was running around without clothes and the dog licked her vulva area. She yelled, "No those are my private parts!" then promptly came and told me what the dog did to her. I was so proud. : ) I am and will continue to teach her the proper names for all of the male and female organs.

~ I think the bigger picture when it comes to proper names of body parts in relation to children being less at risk for sexual abuse is when a child knows the proper name, it most likely means that the parent feels comfortable talking to the child about sexual issues, making the child more comfortable to disclose to the parent if they were being touched innapropriately (thus making a predator more likely to back off). When I think of parents calling their or their children's body parts some foofie name (i.e. hoo ha, little miss, etc.) it makes me think that they are just uncomfortable talking about sex, body parts, etc, and that is what puts a child at risk.

~ Uh, yeah there is no question it is harder to prosecute if a child uses foofie names instead of proper names. There is a huge difference between "he grabbed my penis" than "he grabbed my twinkie." And for the parent who says they can simply point out the difference to a court, that can be seen as coaching your child to say what you want them to say.

~ I don't get I guess what is so darn embarrassing about your child talking about his/her private parts or bodily functions in public. It is just part of being a parent and dealing with this kind of situation, and anyone with half a brain that witnesses it happening would think the same. I put it in the same category as your child throwing a tantrum in public. They aren't the finest point of parenting, but it is part of the territory.

~ For those who say that they will wait until their child is "old enough" to tell them about their private parts, umm as soon as a kid is able to talk you should start teaching him/her techniques to keep him/herself safe. Kids who aren't "old enough" get sexually abused all the time, sadly. It is never too early to teach a child safety skills.

I have two girls, ages 2 & 4, and during bathtime I say 'stand up so mommy can wash your undercarriage' haha. But they will just use the word 'bottom' to describe down there. As in 'mommy, my bottom hurts' if they have a rash or something. If they ask my what that part is I will say it's your vagina. I have a baby boy now, and for some reason it's easier for me to say penis.

I have two girls, ages 2 & 4, and during bathtime I say 'stand up so mommy can wash your undercarriage' haha. But they will just use the word 'bottom' to describe down there. As in 'mommy, my bottom hurts' if they have a rash or something. If they ask my what that part is I will say it's your vagina. I have a baby boy now, and for some reason it's easier for me to say penis.

I'm not a huge fan of the word vagina in general. And as my son is three and repeats everything I say over and over (and over and over) I'd just as soon not hear VAGINA and/or PENIS 500 times a day. When my son's goes number two we say he poops. Will he be 18 saying 'Hey guys I have to go poop!' - doubtful. Sadly, he probably won't be saying he's going to excrete feces just south of his penis either...

I did not get the correlation between an abuser stopping if he heard the word vagina either.

I'm not a huge fan of the word vagina in general. And as my son is three and repeats everything I say over and over (and over and over) I'd just as soon not hear VAGINA and/or PENIS 500 times a day. When my son's goes number two we say he poops. Will he be 18 saying 'Hey guys I have to go poop!' - doubtful. Sadly, he probably won't be saying he's going to excrete feces just south of his penis either...

I did not get the correlation between an abuser stopping if he heard the word vagina either.

I
know it is not only better for him to know the name of his body parts,
but it is likely to keep him safe if he is ever in a situation when
someone wants to molest him.

That is hands-down one of the most asinine things I've ever heard in my life. Sure it's not harmful to teach your children textbook names for body parts - or not - but it certainly won't curb a molester's drive to prey on and abuse a child. That statement is ridic.

I
know it is not only better for him to know the name of his body parts,
but it is likely to keep him safe if he is ever in a situation when
someone wants to molest him.

That is hands-down one of the most asinine things I've ever heard in my life. Sure it's not harmful to teach your children textbook names for body parts - or not - but it certainly won't curb a molester's drive to prey on and abuse a child. That statement is ridic.

Agreed! Jackson is 6 and he calls it his "deal" and "junk" he also knows that proper term, penis. Caitlin is 20 months. We call her privates her "girlies" or "who ha" when she is older she will know vagina and vulva. I really don't think it is nearly as big of a deal as some people make it out to be.

Agreed! Jackson is 6 and he calls it his "deal" and "junk" he also knows that proper term, penis. Caitlin is 20 months. We call her privates her "girlies" or "who ha" when she is older she will know vagina and vulva. I really don't think it is nearly as big of a deal as some people make it out to be.

I'm all for using the correct terminology myself, but I also think that as long as kids are accurately taught what the function of their genitals is, it doesn't much matter what you call them. As an aside, though, my director at work taught her daughter that girls have vulvas and boys have penises, and she has sure said some doozies! She's three now and a few months ago she picked up a bat and, when her dad asked what she was doing, told him she was going to hit him in the penis like on TV! And who knows where she heard this, but lately she's taken to screaming "Eat my vulva!" at random. Needless to say, she's an interesting kid :)

I'm all for using the correct terminology myself, but I also think that as long as kids are accurately taught what the function of their genitals is, it doesn't much matter what you call them. As an aside, though, my director at work taught her daughter that girls have vulvas and boys have penises, and she has sure said some doozies! She's three now and a few months ago she picked up a bat and, when her dad asked what she was doing, told him she was going to hit him in the penis like on TV! And who knows where she heard this, but lately she's taken to screaming "Eat my vulva!" at random. Needless to say, she's an interesting kid :)

Shortly after our anatomy lesson she got hurt (fell off the seat of her bike). We called daddy, like we did for all owies. She said, "daddy, will you kiss my vagina?" To her it was just another body part, like an arm or a leg. Then we had the conversation about no one touching her vagina and ALWAYS telling mom if anything happens in her crotch area.

Needless to say, I am not bothered at all by the words, or the fact that she is so matter-of-fact about it. I think it is great, and I secretly love watching my folks, his folks, and all of our siblings squirm when my kids talk about their body parts. :)

Shortly after our anatomy lesson she got hurt (fell off the seat of her bike). We called daddy, like we did for all owies. She said, "daddy, will you kiss my vagina?" To her it was just another body part, like an arm or a leg. Then we had the conversation about no one touching her vagina and ALWAYS telling mom if anything happens in her crotch area.

Needless to say, I am not bothered at all by the words, or the fact that she is so matter-of-fact about it. I think it is great, and I secretly love watching my folks, his folks, and all of our siblings squirm when my kids talk about their body parts. :)

I agree. Most people refer to their clavicle as their collarbone. Who the heck cares. I say butt instead of gluteus maximus. I don't think I know one single person who refers to every body part by the correct name.

I agree. Most people refer to their clavicle as their collarbone. Who the heck cares. I say butt instead of gluteus maximus. I don't think I know one single person who refers to every body part by the correct name.

The people who are still saying it doesn't matter - you have clearly A) have not read the entire thread, or B) are completely trying to brush off factual information. I'm baffled that people can go on pretending like it isn't true. I was happy to know this information because it gave me the tools to protect my child.

The people who are still saying it doesn't matter - you have clearly A) have not read the entire thread, or B) are completely trying to brush off factual information. I'm baffled that people can go on pretending like it isn't true. I was happy to know this information because it gave me the tools to protect my child.

I can see how knowing the name of a body part can aid in communication at all levels (with the parents, investigators, etc.), however you stated knowing the words will likely protect a child from molestation? "...but it is likely to keep him safe if he is ever in a situation when someone wants to molest him" No one has concurred on that. It's BS - own it.

And yes I've read the whole thread.

Sunshine?

I can see how knowing the name of a body part can aid in communication at all levels (with the parents, investigators, etc.), however you stated knowing the words will likely protect a child from molestation? "...but it is likely to keep him safe if he is ever in a situation when someone wants to molest him" No one has concurred on that. It's BS - own it.

Sunshine - I believe that's her SN, I didn't go back and check. And I stand by what I said - yes, knowing the actual names for their private parts will usually scare off the molesters because they will be intimidated by hearing the child say vagina or penis. A molestor is much less likely to carry on because they will know that the child is knowledgable. What do I have to own up to? I haven't changed how I felt since I wrote posted this thread.

Sunshine - I believe that's her SN, I didn't go back and check. And I stand by what I said - yes, knowing the actual names for their private parts will usually scare off the molesters because they will be intimidated by hearing the child say vagina or penis. A molestor is much less likely to carry on because they will know that the child is knowledgable. What do I have to own up to? I haven't changed how I felt since I wrote posted this thread.

I disagree with you. Molesters don't generally pick children at random. They are sneaky m-fers. Most of them are well known to their victims. They prowl for children they think won't tell and they groom children over time. It is most often an escalation of behaviors, maybe starting with an 'accidental' touch outside of the clothing. The child who says "you just touched my penis", sends up red flags to the molester that someone is talking to this child openly and honestly and this child will likely talk to them. Open communication and proper terminology can help protect a child. In all cases? No, of course not, nothing will. But it is definitely a protective factor.

I disagree with you. Molesters don't generally pick children at random. They are sneaky m-fers. Most of them are well known to their victims. They prowl for children they think won't tell and they groom children over time. It is most often an escalation of behaviors, maybe starting with an 'accidental' touch outside of the clothing. The child who says "you just touched my penis", sends up red flags to the molester that someone is talking to this child openly and honestly and this child will likely talk to them. Open communication and proper terminology can help protect a child. In all cases? No, of course not, nothing will. But it is definitely a protective factor.

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